The Rev. Israel Ssekamatte, associate pastor of the 5,000-member Prayer Palace Christian Center in Kampala, Uganda, visited Birmingham this week to spread a message of support for the Jewish State that he's named after.

In a visit to Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham, Ssekamatte said that God promised in the Bible to bless all those who bless the nation of Israel.

"This country has been a great blessing to Israel," Ssekamatte said. "America is blessed because America has blessed Israel. All the nations that have blessed Israel have been blessed."

The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem has appointed Ssekamatte as its national director for Uganda. The embassy rallies Christian support for Israel worldwide.

At his church in Uganda, he asks the congregation to pray for America and pray for Israel at every service, he said. "America has been a blessing to other countries," Ssekamatte said. "Your money has been spent all over the world to help people. Even the people that hate you, you help them. That is a godly trait. So many peoples' lives have been changed for generations."

Ssekamatte spoke to an interfaith clergy group on Thursday, then took part in Temple Emanu-El's Sabbath service on Friday. He will speak at Living Stones Temple in Forestdale on Sunday.

He showed fellow clergy his tattered Bible that he uses in church, saying it was printed in the United States.

"When I was growing up, I was very poor," Ssekamatte said. "I had six siblings and we lived in two rooms. We didn't have enough to eat. My mother always read the Bible to us every morning. That built in us faith and trust in God."

That faith and trust are gifts Africa has to offer America, he said.

"In Uganda, 10 children and their parents may live in a very small house and eat one meal a day," he said. "They're very happy because they have hope for tomorrow. In America, many people have lost hope and feel that God has left them."

Ssekamatte said Uganda is still recovering from the damage done by Idi Amin, who was military dictator and president from 1971-79. "He kicked out Jews, Indians and Europeans," he said. "We had war for 30 years. Africa has been ravaged by war."

Ssekamatte, founder of the African Dream Foundation, will be in Alabama through Oct. 16. He is available for speaking engagements and can be reached by email: israelfavourite2012@gmail.com.